Legalities Restrain Benghazi Response

The Washington Times reports Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., plans to introduce a bill that would give the authority to military and intelligence assets to kill the individuals responsible for the attack on our consulate in Benghazi and the subsequent murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

So producers of “crude, YouTube videos” had better watch their step. No, wait, that’s the Obama administration’s cover story. Hunter’s bill targets the terrorists responsible for the planned, coordinated attack on the anniversary of 9/11.

The problem is finding those responsible. You may recall on September 12, after President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had time for a good night’s sleep, the president made a speech in the Rose Garden where he pledged, "And make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.”

However, Obama failed to specify what administration would be in office when they were apprehended.

It took six weeks for the FBI to finally examine the scene of the attack; long after CNN and other news organizations had been there and gone. And neither the Libyan government — what there is of it — nor the FBI has detained or questioned anyone linked to the attack. Although once again, CNN has done an interview. (Now there’s an idea! How about deputizing a CNN reporter?)

For Rep. Hunter it came to a head on Wednesday when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey informed Hunter that "Well, first of all, the individuals related in the Benghazi attack . . . don't fall under the AUMF [Authorization for Use of Military Force] authorized by the Congress of the United States. So we would not have the capability to simply find them and kill them."

So it’s just as well “There have been no reported efforts to capture the men.” Dempsey’s statement proves once again that the Pentagon has surrendered to lawyers without firing a shot. The mindset is not military, it’s law enforcement. The problem is the attack in Benghazi was an attack on the soil of the United States.

The Pentagon doesn’t need permission from a lawyer to defend the nation. Those attackers declared war on the U.S. and the danger from them exists as long as they remain at large or alive.

Killing the enemy is part of defending the nation and it’s a job for warriors, not paper pushers.

I wish Rep. Hunter all the success in the world. But his valiant effort unfortunately won’t energize the administration’s no-intensity manhunt or change the CYA thinking in the Pentagon.

Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan. He is president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation and chairman of the League of American Voters. Mike is an in-demand speaker with Premiere. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.